22" Dinosaur Rib, Metatarsal, and Tendons in Sandstone - Wyoming

This massive, 22" wide piece of sandstone contains a conglomeration of ossified tendons and dinosaur bones that have been left in their natural positions within the rock, collected from the Lance (Creek) Formation of Wyoming. The bones include a hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus annectens) rib, a large metatarsal (likely Edmontosaurus or Triceratops), a vertebra with intact neural canal, a partial hadrosaur tooth (Edmontosaurus annectens), ossified tendons, and a variety of unidentified bone fragments. The vertebra and metatarsal are also exposed on the backside of the sandstone.

One edge of this specimen has been flattened, allowing for vertical presentation.

Measurements:
Entire specimen - 22 x 14.5"
Metatarsal - 13.5" long
Vertebra - 5.3 x 3.6"
Rib - 11.8" long

There are some repaired cracks and spots of glue stabilization through the metatarsal, vertebra and rib bone.

Hadrosaurs are frequently referred to as duck-billed dinosaurs and are members of the Ornithischian family Hadrosauridae. They were fairly common herbivores that roamed Asia, Europe, and North America during the Upper Cretaceous Period. Many species of Hadrosaurs had distinctive crests on their heads, some of which had air-filled chambers that may have produced a distinct sound. These crests may have been used for both audio and visual display purposes.

The Lance Formation of Wyoming, which dates back to the Late Cretaceous period between 66 and 69 million years ago, is home to a wide variety of both dinosaur and assorted small vertebrate fossils. During the Cretaceous, this midwestern formation would have been comprised of streams connected to the large Western Interior Seaway that split continental North America in half down the midwest. As a result of the subtropical climate and frequent rainfall, life flourished both on land and in the sea. These wet environments created perfect scenarios for sediment deposition, making the resulting Lance Formation such a fertile fossil site.

Perhaps the most famous Lance resident would be Tyrannosaurus rex, the largest North American carnivore to ever live. However, other smaller theropods also roamed the American midwest in this subtropical coastal stream system, including the beaked Ornithomimus, a lanky running theropod with a build similar to a modern ostrich, as well as several small predatory troodonts such as Paronychodon and Pectinodon.

Herbivorous dinosaurs also took advantage of the abundance offered by this unique era. Armored ankylosaurs dwelt in herds, their safety assured by their numbers, their heavy bone plating protecting most of their bodies and even their eyelids, and huge bone clubs on the ends of their tails providing them with powerful offensive capabilities. Ceratopsians like the famous Triceratops also formed protective herds, guarding their necks with frills and horns. Their smaller relatives, the dome-headed pachycephalosaurs, were also well represented in the area. Hadrosaurs, duck-billed titans with huge batteries of plant-grinding teeth in elongated snouts, are also well known from the region.

In addition to dinosaurs, a wide variety of fishes, amphibians, lizards, snakes, turtles, champsosaurs, crocodilians, and pterosaurs have been found in the formation.
FOR SALE
$2,750
DETAILS
SPECIES
Edmontosaurus annectens
LOCATION
Weston County, Wyoming
FORMATION
Lance (Creek) Formation
SIZE
Entire Specimen: 22 x 14.5
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#229643
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